Patrick Ledesma

As the next candidate cycle begins on April 1, 2016, many educators around the country will ask themselves, “Is now the right time to consider National Board Certification?” or “Am I ready to become a candidate?” I remember asking similar questions when I saw an information session flyer about Board certification posted on a bulletin board in the teacher workroom at my school. I was very curious! Board certification was highly regarded; unfortunately, I did not know any National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs). The whole thing was a mystery. I remember thinking about the “what’s” and “why’s” – wondering what…

A version of old professional development joke goes something like this: A man dies and goes to heaven. Passing the pearly gates, he notices that there are plenty of folks from all professions and walks of life standing around, but no teachers. “Where are all the teachers?” he inquires of God. “Oh, they’re in professional development,” God replies. “In hell.” I used to tell various iterations of that joke to teachers when I was an instructional resource teacher in my district’s Office of Staff Development. (This version is from Edweek.) The fact that we had to acknowledge these expectations and…